Do You Recall These Defunct Restaurant Chains?

Though La Petite Boulangerie (French for “The Little Bakery”) was sold to multiple owners, none were able to make the chain sufficiently successful. The last location shuttered in 2000.

Marked by its Tudor-style architecture and decor, Steak and Ale filed for bankruptcy and closed its remaining locations in 2008.

After Carrols found itself unable to compete with other larger fast-food franchises, the company’s owner struck a deal with Burger King. By 1981, all remaining Carrols locations had been converted to Burger King restaurants.

After rapidly expanding to 400 locations, the Lum’s hot dog chain was ultimately unable to sustain its swift growth and filed for bankruptcy in the early 1980s.

Red Barn found itself unable to compete with larger fast-food corporations such as McDonald’s and Burger King. The chain ceased operations in the late 1980s.

The Official All Star Café, a sports-themed restaurant partially funded by legendary athletes including Wayne Gretzky and Shaquille O’Neal, closed in 2007 after failing to build a loyal following of repeat customers.

Gino’s Hamburgers vanished in 1982 after it was acquired by the Marriott Corporation and its existing locations were converted into Roy Rogers restaurants.

White Tower Hamburgers restaurants were mostly located in downtown city centers. As more Americans began driving and moving to the suburbs in the 1930s, the restaurant began losing its primary customer base. One final location in Toledo, Ohio, managed to hold on until 2022.

Burger Chef faced financial difficulties due to overexpansion and disappeared after the company was sold to Hardee’s in the early 1980s.

After being sold off in 2012, Cheeseburger in Paradise locations started to close across the United States. The final location in Secaucus, New Jersey, permanently closed its doors in September 2020.

Following bankruptcy and a 2003 hepatitis outbreak that was traced back to one of its Pennsylvania locations, Chi-Chi’s restaurants throughout the world rapidly began to close.

The Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken chain closed shortly after investors sued the company in the late 1960s in response to financial losses and tax irregularities.

Once McDonald’s and Burger King began offering their own healthier menu options, D’Lites lost its unique hook, failed to attract customers, and ultimately shuttered in the late 1980s.

After filing for bankruptcy in 1998, Kenny Rogers Roasters was sold to a Malaysian conglomerate and disappeared from the United States, though a few franchises still remain in Asia.

Though it once had close to 1,000 roadside franchise locations across the U.S., Howard Johnson’s couldn’t compete with larger fast-food chains such as McDonald’s. The last Howard Johnson’s restaurant closed in 2022.